By Charlene Gatt
MARIBYRNONG City Council will become a three-ward municipality next year in a major restructure proposed by the Victorian Electoral Commission.
In its final report, released last week, the VEC has called for the municipality to go from seven single-councillor wards to seven councillors representing three wards.
The recommended structure calls for two wards – the Stony Creek and River wards – to be each represented by two councillors, while the third ward, dubbed the Yarraville Ward, will have three councillors.
The revamped Stony Creek ward will take in the suburbs of Braybrook, Tottenham and West Footscray; the new River Ward will cover Maribyrnong, Maidstone and part of Footscray; and the Yarraville Ward will encompass Yarraville, Kingsville, Seddon and part of Footscray.
“The issue of uneven growth across the municipality cannot be ignored; despite the VEC’S efforts to find an acceptable single ward structure it proved impossible to balance the wards and communities of interest,” the report read.
“(Under the multi-councillor ward structure) the larger wards will be less susceptible to changes caused by the uneven population growth.
“As one of the smallest metropolitan councils in the area, the VEC is confident that councillors will still be accessible to residents and that local issues will not be overridden.”
Councillors will be elected by proportional representation under the new structure.
Mayor Sarah Carter said the council would have preferred the ward structure to remain the same.
“Having single-councillor wards works and promotes more accountability,” Cr Carter said.
“But we have to embrace that change now… it will certainly change the make-up (of the municipality and council).”
Former Footscray Mayor Fred Maddern was happy that Kingsville was included in the same ward as Yarraville and Seddon, but said that having multi-councillor wards would lead to lazy councillors.
“I am disappointed, very disappointed, that they’ve chosen to go down the track of three multiple wards. If they were looking to de-politicise the council, I think they’ve actually made the council more political this way.”
The report has been sent to Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell for consideration.
If the Minister endorses the recommendation the changes will take place for the next council election, which will be held on 27 October 2012.
